updated 05:59 am EDT, Wed April 17, 2013

Motorola design chief pushing for move away from bigger screens

Motorola is concentrating on making smartphones that forgoes the larger size trend in favor of improving quality, according to company design chief Jim Wicks. The first devices designed post-Google acquisition will apparently follow the doctrine of "better is better" instead of "bigger is better," as seen in other recent smartphone announcements.

"Certain people like a large screen, but there is a sweet spot for consumers that we're currently exceeding in the market," said Wicks in an interview withPC Mag, continuing "there are some people that like a big display, but there's also a lot of people that want something that's just about right." A focus on simplicity, narrow bezels, scratch and drop resistance will help dictate the physical side of the phone's design.

Unsurprisingly, Android will be the operating system of choice. "Consumers love what the Android OS can do for them," Wickes claimed, before stating that it will be the "unadulterated version of Android," with as little additional bloat as possible. "From a software and UI perspective, our strategy is to embrace Android and to make it the best expression of Android and Google in the market."

It is also revealed that Motorola will be pushing to make fewer devices for individual carriers, instead creating a smaller range that will be available across multiple networks. "We are going to try and drive a more singular expression of our brand across multiple carriers," said Wickes. "It's a fundamental change in model." Razr and Droid lines will continue to be built for carriers, but future devices could come under new brand names, ones that could be the equivalent of the HTC One or Samsung Galaxy S series of devices.

The discussion of a "just right" screen size, screen protection, and stock Android offering echoes an earlier render of the fabled X Phone, despite not being brought up in the interview. The latest iteration of the rumor saw it as having a 4.8-inch display, Gorilla Glass 3, and a vanilla Android Jelly Bean install with some Motorola-specific widgets added.